Vehicle suspension device



April 18, 1933.

L, GRANGES 19O3966 VEHICLE SUSPENSION DEVICE v Filed Aug. *4, 1930 4 Shets-Sheet 1 e; ATTORNEY 18, L GRANGES I VEHICLE SUSPENSION DEVICE Filed-Aug. 4, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.2.

A ril 18, 1933.

1 0 L. GRANGES 3966 VEHICLE SUSPENSION DEVICE Filed Aug. 4, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 MEN/0K: Zea/1 69 2294 as B) v w A ORA/EV Filed Aug. 4, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Fig. 5

FigBa. b 36 29 e r V/ Patented Apr. 18, 1933 UNITED S AT-Es PATENTO FICE LOUIS cannons, or mars, amon vnnrcrn siisrnnsron nEvrcE Application filed August 4, 1930,?er'ia1 No. 473,078, and inFrance May 27, 1930.

This invention has for its object a device adapted to provide for the elastic suspension of a vehicle chassis on the axlesthereof.

In order that the invention may more easily be understood, it will now be further described with the aid of the accompanying drawings wherein Figure l isa side elevational view partly in section of the whole device. f Figure 2 is an end view of the whole de-' vice. I 7

Figures 3-and 3a taken together show a longitudinal cross section of the dampening device for the vertical oscillations of the chassis. I

Figure 4 is anend view of the said ening device with removed cover.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional View takenon line AB in Fig. 1, 'theicam profile being shown in dot-and-dash lines,"

Figures 6 and 6a taken together show a perspective view of the chain providing the I I r bearlng face 39 to be; progresslve'ly engaged suspending end. 7 v v A connecting member consistinge; g. of a chain 1 is secured at one end thereof by means of a pin 6 to a bracket 7 carried on the-axle 7, The chain 1 is made up of elements 2 and 2 formed with jaws 3, 4and '3, 4respectively, arranged at right'angles to each other, the said elements being linkedto one another by pins 5 which, similarly to jaws 3 and 4, are arrangedat right angles to one another. The chain is run over a cam-8101' other suitable device having a variable working radius to which it is secured by means of a pin 9.' The cam 8 is keyed on the shaft 10. mounted for free rotation in the casing 11. Spiral springs 12 clamped at one end thereof in slots 13 in the casing'll are secured at their other ends in slots 14 cut in the shaft 10.

The casing 11 is adapted to be rotated within a housing 15 by means e; g. of .a worm wheel 16 rigid with the casing 11 and a'worm spindle 17 rotatably mounted in the housing 15; The said worm spindle may be driven by means'ofa remote control gear not shown in the drawing. The housing 15 is secured: to the chassis 15' by means of brackets 18.-

The shaft 10 has secured on 'it a disc 19 0 formed with a circular track 2Oengaged by damptated, the casing 11 will be driven by the a pair of rollers 21 loosely mounted on arm 22'; the track 20 is formed with inclineda faces The arm 22 rigid-with a sleeve 24 is mount- 7 ed for'free sliding motion onthe. shait 10' and 55 is constrained from rotation by its extremity 25 slidingina slot 26. r r

Arranged at the end of the sleeve 24 area plurality of springs 27 adapted to exert a yielding thrust upon the discs 28. .The said 60 discs are formed with projections 29 guided in slots 30 in the housing 15. Interposed'be- 3 tween the said discs 28 are :discs 31fformed with projections 32 guided in' slots 33 in a drum 34 rigid withtheshaft l0." i

A cover 35 is adapted to press uponthe last disc 28 as a result e; g. of its thread enga ement with the housing 15. r

K flexible cable 37 rigid with the Shaft 10 I transmits-the angularposition of-the cam 8 76 to an indicator hand 38. f i

The bracket 7 is formed with a curved,

by a spring 40 secured to the bracket 7 at 41,

as the saidspring becomes deflected. 3 v

Securedat the free end of the springs 4 is a case 42 carryinga pin 43 on which there r is loosely mounted a roller 44' guided on a}.

track 45 rigid with the chassis 15; V

' Links 46 providing a parallelogram b means on one 'handof universal joints 47 rigid with the chassis 15' through the bracket 48 andwon the other hand of fulcrums49 rigid with the bracket 7 ensure the correct running-ofthe roller 44 on the track45 and'85 at the same time hold the axle 7 same being 7 secured to thebracket 7, v I 1 1 i 1 It willbe understood from the above description that if the-worm spindle 17 be ro- 9G worm wheel 16 andfwill in turn'dr'ive the ends of the springs 12 by meansof the slot-13. This movement results ina torque being pro 7 gressively applied by the springs 12 upon the shaft 10 through the 'slot14 A corresponding stress is thereby exerted on the chain'l by the cam 8rigidwith the shaft 10.

' When thetangential stress set uponlthe cam 8 by the stress of the springs 12is greaterthan the weightof the chassis 15, thelat- 7 ter is lifted by the rotation of the cam 8 on which the chain 1 is run. In this movement the chassis 15 becomes hung by the chain 1 to the bracket 7 and, thereby, to the axles 7 The chassis 15 thus hung to the axle 7 might move in all directions as a result of the flexibility of the chains 1. The chassis 15' is yieldingly maintained transversally by the rollers 44 which are operative in all the vertical positions of the chassis 15 by running on the tracks 45.

When the axles assume a tilted position, that is, when the chassis is inclined relatively to the axle,-the horizontal distance between the tracks 45 on either side of the chassis 1 5 for one and the same axle is increased, which drivesthe rollers 44 further aside, a motion which is taken up by a flexion of the springs 40. I

The bearing face 39 provides for a reaction of increasing magnitude of the spring reaction of the spring 40 upon the track 45,

whereby the bending stresses on the bracket 7 are reduced to a minimum. V

The correct running of the rollers 44 on tracks 45 is ensured by the bracket 7 held by the parallelogram formed bythe links 46.

It will beappreciated that as the wheels conform themselves to unevennesses in or on the road, the axle 7 in its vertical displacements will act'upon the springs 12 through the suspension end 1 and the cam 8, and that the chassis 15 will be influenced vertically by the movements of the axle 7 only as measured by'the ratio of the sum of the moments set up by the winding or unwinding of the suspension end 1 upon or from the cam 8 to the sum of the corresponding resistant moments of the yielding react-ion member which, in the present instance, consists in the springs 12; the'said'ratiomay be equal to 1/1 inasmuch as for any given elastic energy such a curvature may be found out for the cam 8 that balance will be'established'between the efiort on the suspension end 1 and the reaction of the springs 12 at every point of tangency of the suspensionend 1 on the curve of the cam 8.'

' From the foregoing it will be appreciated that with a cam 8 of suitable shape the desired flexibility of suspension may be obtained in its fullest extent. In order that the verticaloscillations of the chassis 15 may be reduced both in time and space, a braking action is exerted upon 7 the rotational movements ofthe cam 8; such braking action is obtained by frictional enment ofthe axle 7 on either side of the said intermediate position is at its limit.

Such result is attained as a result of the particular shape given to the circular track 20 which is formed with inclined faces 23 whereby the rollers 21 on the arm 22'are caused to move longitudinally, thus exerting a progressive pressure on the discs 28 and 31 through the intermedium of the springs27' and the sleeve 24. V

It is a known fact that the braking of the vertical oscillations of the chassis must have a greater or less effectiveness depending on the conditions of the road and the speed oi the vehicle; such result is obtained on account of the greater or less pressure which the cover 35' may be caused to exert by more or less tightening the same on the housing 15; said cover 35 may be controlled from a remote position by known means.

The position of. the cam 8 is influenced when the load on thevehicle is increased or decreased; in order that the said cam may be brought back to'its intermediate position, the worm spindle 17 has to be operated to suitably tighten or loosen the springs 12.

"The said worm spindle 17 may be operated from a remote position with due regard to the position of the hand 38 which indicates that of the cam 8. a

' It is to be understood that the embodiment described hereinbefore is by no ways of limitative character and lends itself to all desirable constructional modifications without departing from the scope of the invention. Iclaim: 3 1. A suspension device for a vehicle having a chassis supported on a plurality of axles,

comprising flexible connecting means between the chassis and the axles, a yielding power means, a rotatable cam in contact with the flexible means, thecam being contoured to be afi'e cted'by the flexible means and in turn to affect the yielding power means, and means for. controlling the intensity of the initial reaction of the yieldingpower means from a remote position so that irrespective of the magnitude of the load on the chassis the cam may assume a suitable intermediate position for every possible load condition, the'said intermediate position of the cam permitting the elastic reactions to remain substantially proportional to the applied load.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein therotary device in the rotational movement thereof is adapted to drive a plurality of discs interposed between a plurality of stationary discs, the discs during the rotation of the rotary device being all pressed in variable frictional contact with one another by inclined faces provided on a circular track rigid with the rotary device-carrying shaft; the said rotary device through interposed rollers and springs exerting a variable yielding pressure on the discs; means being provided whereby the pressure on the discs to be initially adjusted, the said means consisting in a movable abutment arranged for remote control with a view variably to intensify the braking effect resulting from the friction on the discs so as to adapt the said braking effect to given road and vehicle speed conditions.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the flexible means consists of a chain adapted for fiexion in all directions and each element of which consists of two sets of jaws rigid with and coaxially arranged to each other, the said elements being linked to one another by means of pins connecting the interfitting jaws of every pair of successive elements, the said pins, similarly to the related jaws, being arranged successively at right angles to one another. I 4. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein guiding means are provided to yieldingly keep the chassis in position with respect to the axle, said means consisting in a pair of n tracks rigid with the chassis and rollers guided on the said tracks onto which they are vieldingly pressed by springs secured to brackets attached to the axle. the bearing faces engaged by the said springs being so shaped that as the spring is occasionally deflected its overhang decreases as a result of a winding action of the same over its bearing, whereby the reaction capacity of the same is increased, the bearing face for the spring and thepoint of attachment for the suspension means being provided on one and the same bracket in order that the bending stresses on the said bracket may be reduced to a minimum by a compensation of the spring reaction through the horizontal component set up by the load on the suspension means. 5. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein a pair of links are provided which are connected by. universal joints at either end thereof with the chassis and the brackets rigid with the same respectively; the said links forming a parallelogram adapted to suitably guide the rollers in their paths on their tracks and to keep the axle parallel to the transversal plane of the chassis in all the displacements of the axle with respect to the chassis. ,7

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

LOUIS GRANGES. 

